2021 The Crane Assembly Disciples

This is the kind of bottle that stops you mid-conversation.

The Crane Assembly was born when a handful of friends including Dave Phinney and winemaker Kevin Fox (Co-founder of Orin Swift) stood among hundred-year-old vines at the legendary G.B. Crane Vineyard and decided they couldn’t walk away. Disciples is their love letter to those early California field blends, raw, powerful, and unapologetically alive.

The 2021 pours almost black, with a glowing fuchsia rim. The nose is pure seduction, wild briar, black plum, blue fruit, redwood bark and the deep, smoky scent of charred meat. On the palate it refuses to play nice, dense black fruit, tarragon, roast lamb, mint and sarsaparilla roll across the tongue, framed by grippy yet perfectly polished tannins. A long, mineral-laced finish that just won’t let go. At 15.7% it should feel heavy, yet it carries its power with real grace and energy.

This is Napa with its sleeves rolled up — bold, savory, and impossible to put down.

Grape: 34% Petite Sirah, 30% Zinfandel, 26% Syrah, 10% Grenache

Appellation: Napa Valley, California, USA

-Wine Advocate 92 Points